The Were-Dragon
by babyshayd25
Summary: Hiccup is an average loner-nerd living in Berk. His school life: All A's. Social life: Poor. Love life: Non existent. Then he finds out that he is a Were-Dragon. With the help of his new friend Toothless and a few others like them, Hiccup learns to be a dragon. But when you throw a deadly threat and a lovely blonde into the mix, life is everything but a piece of cake! Hicstrid! T/M


**A/N: Hey guys and gals! I don't know if you've heard of me, but this is just something that popped into my head and I'm hoping you'll enjoy it! For those of you who follow me and are expecting an update for my other story, "GNO: Astrid Style", I've kind of put it on hold for procrastination reasons. I know, I suck. But back to this one. Modern AU. Its got everybody I could think of and a few extras. If you have any questions just ask, and don't forget to review! Enjoy!**

**ALSO: Rated T for swearing and some lemony scented-ness. No smut… yet? All depends. This is probably going to be a 3 part story, I just hope you stay long enough for an ending. =)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters, everything belongs to their rightful owners. Song mentioned is not mine, rightful owners own it. I love HTTYD!**

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_**THE WERE-DRAGON**_

**PART 1: THE IGNITION**

* * *

_Chapter:1 Meet the Haddock Boy_

_*A mountainous cliff appears out of the darkness. On the edge of the cliff stands a teenaged boy with his hands outstretched. His eyes are closed, facing the sky, and he's breathing in the scent of the air deeply. His face is that of complete bliss. Then he jumps…*_

"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BE-" Hiccup slammed his hand down on his annoying alarm clock and grunted in frustration. He was awoken, yet again, from his favorite dream and it hadn't even gotten to the best part.

Yeah. That guy on the cliff? The one jumping off? Him.

But it's really not what you think. Honestly. He wasn't committing suicide. Really! Who would commit suicide in a dream? A place where anything was possible. A place of greatest escape from the constant stress that existed in the real world. No, Hiccup wasn't committing suicide. He was just trying to be free. His intentions were just.

Hiccup grunted again, knowing that if he didn't get up soon the covers would never let him go. All he wanted was five more minutes to finish up the dream, but sadly, someone had something else in mind.

"HANSEL!" boomed the voice of his father. "Get your lazy laurel up before _I _come and get it up for you!" Hiccup grunted at the sound of his real name. He hated it. Absolutely, _hated _it. Like, really? Who the fuck names their kid _Hansel?_ It's like an embarrassing pimple or bad hair cut, except this one followed him forever. Well, at least not at school.

When Hiccup moved from the quiet life of Iceland to the busy life of England, he saw for the first time just how dangerous it was to have a name as bad as Hansel. The kids in England used to always tease him and shove him around, saying cruel things like 'Quite the ladies name, _Hansel_!' and 'Does _Hansel_ want his dolly?' Thus began his life long journey of brutes, bullies, and constant dickheads.

He and his father moved from England to the small isle of Berk when he was thirteen, and Hiccup decided to change his name. Starting out at the new school, he tried to tell his teachers that his name was Hal, but when he spoke, he hiccupped. And so became the dreadful nickname. Well, Hiccup didn't think his nick-name was _all_ bad. A lot better than _Hansel_. He cringed at the bitter taste it left in his mouth. 'Hiccup' was definitely better.

He finally pushed himself free from his over-possessive comforter and walked into his bathroom. Running a hand through his spiky auburn hair, Hiccup sighed heavily and turned the water on in his porcelain shower. He walked over to his chrome-finished countertop and sink, picked up his toothbrush, and brushed his teeth quickly.

Hiccup, in the least to say, was rich. Loaded. Swimming in money. Well _he_ wasn't rich, his _dad_ was.

Stanley Haddock was the lawyer of some big law firm, but Hiccup could've cared less what his father was or did. His father had been the best lawyer in Iceland, which was why everyone wanted him. They ended up on some small isle in the middle of the ocean. Berk. And the firm there paid him dearly. Enough to pay for their mansion. Not to mention that Stanley was the Chief of Police on Berk, which also paid quite nicely.

Stepping out of his shower, Hiccup glanced at his figure in the mirror in frustration. He was nothing like his father.

Stan Haddock was a tall, red-haired, muscle man with biceps bigger than Hiccup was around. He towered over people and had enough strength to take on a bull, which was why many people assumed he worked for the Mob or something instead of some big-to-do firm. Everyone called him 'Stoick' because of the stoic expression he wore during court cases. In Hiccup's perspective, he always wore that look.

And Hiccup, contrary to his father, was nothing more than a pole. He was tall, taller than most guys, but he had no muscles whatsoever. And no athletic talent either. Hiccup knew he was nothing his father wanted.

Hell, everyone knew. He was a klutz, a loser, a nerd… everything his father hated. Hiccup knew that in silence Stan hated him. He wasn't an athlete, he wasn't strong, he didn't even have a girlfriend! Why couldn't his father just accept him as a failure and move on? Everyone else did.

But Hiccup tried like hell to impress his father anyways. His grades seemed to be the only thing his father acknowledged about him. He was a genius and top of his class at Hooligan High, home of the famous Vikings. But the Vikings were better known for their athletic department, not their mathematics department.

After toweling off, Hiccup returned to his master bedroom to pick out some clothes for the day. He sifted through his closet to find his favorite dark green long-sleeve, the one that seemed to match his overly dark green eyes perfectly, or so that's what his mother used to say.

Hiccup paused for a second, the familiar lump already forming in his throat. He shook his head and breathed deeply. He just couldn't get into that now.

Pulling on a pair of dark blue-jeans and throwing on his favorite black beanie with the schools logo on it; a Viking helmet with a sword and hammer crisscrossing behind the helmet, Hiccup exited his room and walked down the stairs to the kitchen… or three flights of stairs, his house was pretty big.

His father was sitting at their grand table, surprisingly, with one hand around his imported coffee and his nose to the newspaper. Usually, Stan would be out the door and off to work with only a note telling Hiccup which work he was at.

Hiccup grabbed himself some coffee and joined his father at the table. When he sat down the red-haired man glanced up. "So," he said in his thick Icelandic accent as he took a sip from his cup and went back to the paper. "Today's the first day of senior year then?" He asked as he continued to read and sip the burning liquid. Hiccup stared down at his cup.

"Yeah," he answered simply. Stan nodded his head, scratched his red-bearded chin, and left it at that.

This was how all their conversations went. Stanley would try to say something fatherly, Hiccup would nod and reply respectfully, and then it would end. Things were so much easier when Hiccup's mom was around. He cringed just thinking about her, and took a large gulp of his coffee to burn the uneasiness from his body.

Valerie Haddock had been in an accident almost ten years ago, when Hiccup was only eight. It was a devastating blow to both the Haddock men, especially for Hiccup who was very much attached to his mother. Without the feminine touch to bring the two men together, father and son drifted further and further apart. Hiccup thought of them more like… acquaintances? Roommates? Whatever it was, it wasn't 'family'.

The next four minutes and thirty-seven seconds were left in an awkward silence. A casual sip here, a little sniff there, and a turn of the paper whenever. Hiccup glanced at the Rolex Daytona on his left wrist and read the time.

_6:42 am. And I don't have to be there until 7:15. _

"Well…" he started. Stan looked up from the paper, but Hiccup didn't want to meet his father's steely green eyes. "I should get going. School will be a hassle and I'll probably have to pick my locker and… what not." He paused and glanced at his father.

Stan coughed and shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Oh, of course. I would suppose as much." Their eyes met in awkward silence, neither knowing what else to say but struggling to say something. Hiccup ended up just turning away and walking out of the room. He ran back up to his room and grabbed his black back-pack with all his summer work in it and raced back downstairs. But before he could dash out through the grand doors, he was stopped by his father's voice calling to him.

"Hansel?" Hiccup cringed, and let his hand hesitate on the door handle. He hummed in response, dreading what his father would say._ Maybe he'll just wish me luck, or something along those-_

"Don't forget to look into that extra class in politics," his father answered and Hiccup deflated. "I had a chat with that new guidance counselor of yours and he said that he would see what he could do about your schedule. If you intend on getting into Harvard Law, we need to-"

Hiccup cut his father off. "Yeah. Okay. Bye…" He hesitated before deciding to actually leave out _dad._ Hiccup yanked the door open and shut, rushed out of the house and hurried over to the garage. Once he slipped inside his black Audi Civic he sat in silence for a moment before slamming his palms on the steering-wheel in frustration.

_Every time… Every. Single. FUCKING. TIME! _

'Stoick' wanted his son to be just like him. If he couldn't have the athlete, than he was going to have the lawyer. Only problem was Hiccup didn't want to be a lawyer or go to Harvard. He wanted to go to Stanford for engineering. He was pretty creative and had a passion for science, but because of his father, Hiccup had to enjoy his dream in silence.

When he was younger, Hiccup loved taking things apart and then putting them together again. He just loved the complex systems and the equations, and he loved learning the anatomy and physiology of each object. Whatever he could find, he tore it apart: the microwave, the stove, the toaster, his iPod, his GameBoy; and then he would just put it back together like it had never been touched. Stan finally told him to stop when Hiccup took his father's phone and meddled with it. This was after his mother died.

Val was actually a scientist who had swooned Hiccup's father on a court case of his. They were in love and had Hiccup a few years after they were married. He seemed to take after his mother, in looks and brains, for which his father also hated him. He looked too much like Val. Same mahogany brown hair, same freckled face, same small build… same everything.

Hiccup sped down his long driveway to the gates of his home and pulled onto the paved road. Berk was an island in pretty much the middle of nowhere. Although quite small and very secluded, Berk was home to less than two thousand people. The kids at school had a motto; "One way in. One way out. No exceptions… Welcome to Hell."

Most people felt like they were stranded on a deserted isle, even though Berk was pretty modernized with all the gadgets and modern technology that the rest of the world had, but Hiccup loved it. He liked to pretend that when he walked off his property and into the woods behind his house that he was all alone on the island and that the rest of the world didn't exist. The woods felt like home, even more so than his own mansion.

There were five main sections of Berk: The Suburb, The Wood, The Port, The Square, and The Beach. The Suburb was located near the middle of the island and the majority of Berkians lived there. Of course it was split, high class from lower classes, but they were pretty much packed together in one general area. The Wood was pretty much the rest of the island that wasn't a building because most of the island was dense with woods. The Port was just that; the place where mainland items came in and Berk products were shipped out. The Square was obviously the center of Berk and pretty much all Berkian life; where all the government buildings and a few of the residents lived. Though most of the coast line was blocked off by rocky cliffs, the youth of Berk had discovered various beaches on the other side of the mountain range behind the Suburb, which they dubbed the Beach. The Beach was the hot spot for _many _under-aged parties; parties that Hiccup was never invited to.

Hiccup's mansion, also known as Cobblefield Mansion, was less than ten minutes from the Square and upon reaching the center of Berk he turned down one of the main roads and headed for the Wood. The only building inside the Wood region was the high school and there was only one road to get there. Talk about a high security prison.

Another few minutes of silent driving and Hiccup turned on the radio and plugged in his iPhone. He scrolled through his music to his favorite song _**'All 'Cause of You' **_by _**The 88**_ and blasted it as he drummed his fingers on the wheel and sang along to the beat.

"**I'VE BEEN SINKING THROUGH THE DRAIN OF LOVE. **

**LIFT MY EYES TO SKIES OF UP ABOVE.**

**LISTEN TO ME THIS IS HOW I FEEL.**

**SINCE I KNEW YOU ALL MY THOUGHTS ARE REAL.**

**YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE I WANNA DO…**

**EVERYTHINGS NEW…**

**AND IT'S ALL 'CAUSE OF YOU."**

He listened to the song two more times before the school came into view. Once he parked in the student parking lot he was surprised to see an assortment of cars already there. He glanced at the dashboard and the clock radio read 6:53 AM. _Odd. _He unplugged his phone and got out of his car, grabbing his back-pack and locking it. He walked up to the school, almost getting hit by a few speeding cars. He scoffed and rolled his eyes. _New drivers suck._

Hiccup walked into the school and frowned. _Another year of torture. Warden? I'm checking in!_ And everyone seemed just as annoyed as he was. Some people were hugging and talking while many just stood around, leaning against the walls with a 'I-don't-want-to-be-here' attitude.

Hiccup shouldered his bag and continued down the hall. Most of the seniors were lined up by the front offices, waiting to pick their senior lockers. He shrugged and jumped on the end of the line behind some random Goth chicks. He waited as the line moved rather quickly, and just as he was about to pass through the doorway, he bumped into someone walking out.

"_Ugh! _Hey!" the person scoffed. Hiccup tried to apologize, but upon glancing down at the face, he froze. _Out of everyone, why her?_

The girl he bumped into? Astrid Hofferson.

Astrid Hofferson was the beautiful blonde that Hiccup had a crush on. A major crush on… lasting since freshman year. Her looks were captivating and to many she was a 'head turner' and a 'show stopper'.

Hiccup often matched her beauty with the looks of an angel. Her curly golden hair framed her small face perfectly and stopped just below her shoulders. Her bright, piercing blue eyes gleamed and sparkled. It was like not even the sun could compare. Her small figure curved in all the right places and her legs were often bare under her usual skirts. And she had the greatest smile.

But she was not to be judged as a small damsel. Oh, no. She was fierce and dangerous. She was a gymnast and a multi-sports player. Her body was the one of an athlete, small but toned. She even fought, if necessary, thanks to her years of Karate lessons. Her arms could knock your teeth out with a single blow had you so much as looked at her wrong. And Hiccup standing there like an idiot might have been giving off the wrong impression.

She glanced up and her eyes narrowed when her fierce blue eyes met Hiccup's wide green eyes. "Oh," she said, her face looking disgusted. "It's _you_." She shouldered him aside, probably harder than necessary, and pushed her way through the mass of high school teens. Hiccup rubbed his arm and ran a hand through his hair. That 'Oh, it's you' was because of freshman year.

Freshman year. The year Hiccup moved to Berk, the year he changed his name, the year he first met Astrid and fell in love with her… It was an awful encounter.

On that fateful day a few freshmen were having fun messing around with the new kid who had just moved to Berk and whose name was apparently 'Hiccup'. Hiccup, who had been used to dickheads like these, finally got sick of it and stood up with his lunch, intending to move away from the annoyance… but he ran _smack_ into trouble.

His milk, his hotdog, his salad, and his beans covered poor Astrid's front and she screamed. She ran off with another blonde girl, her best friend Roni Thorston, toward the bathroom, and everyone laughed as she ran. Later, Hiccup found himself in the nurse's office with Astrid in the principle's office. Needless to say, she never forgave him.

Hiccup sighed and got his senior locker by the Chemistry lab. After dodging a few jocks and the guys bathroom that already smelled like weed, he found his locker and stuffed his bag into it. He looked down at the schedule in his hand and smiled lightly.

_1: AP Chemistry_

_2: Physics_

_3: Advanced Technical Drawing_

_4: Advanced Graphics_

_5: AP Calculus_

_6: AP English Literature_

_7: Lunch_

_8: Physical Education / Study Hall_

The last one made him groan. He hated P.E. He hated the physical activities, the cruel jeers from the guys in the locker-room. All through high school Hiccup had somehow managed to avoid the required class, but now he needed it in order to graduate. _Great. _Now he was going to be in a class full of athletic people who actually wanted to be there. Things just couldn't get any worse for him…

There was a slight bang as something hit the lockers a few down from his and he glanced to see what it was. That's when he saw them.

She was surrounded by his friends on the football team and everyone was laughing. Astrid had her arms looped around her boyfriend's neck and he had his hands greedily on her hips, but they were sliding further south looking for new territory. And they were kissing. Hard.

Shawn Jorgenson was the one kissing Astrid and groping her profusely. He was probably the biggest douche bag in the history of douche bags. He was a huge asshole to everyone not on the football team, a huge player, and treated Astrid like she was a piece of meat he could just devour whenever he wanted. Yet, he checked out every girl who walked by when Astrid wasn't looking. And apparently, his favorite nerd to tease would be the one and only, Hiccup.

Remember the boys teasing Hiccup that dreadful day with Astrid? Yup, that was Shawn and a few other football junkies. All through high school, Shawn had made it his personal mission to harass Hiccup in everyway possible. Slamming him in lockers, knocking his books aside, emptying the contents of his bag, or just beating him senseless, Shawn did it all. He would always threaten Hiccup to never tell anyone, and Hiccup listened. What else could he do? '_Daddy'_ wouldn't help, even if Hiccup told him. So he took it upon himself just to lay low and avoid Shawn as much as he possibly could.

Could Hiccup have told the entire school who he really was? Who his father was? How rich he was? Sure. He would become immensely popular amongst everyone… except he knew it was the wrong kind of popularity. One in which people just took advantage of you. He would rather keep his identity a secret, and have Shawn beat him up.

Hiccup would love more than anything to punch the guy. A good clock to the jaw. But, of course, if he did that then _he_ would be the one to end up in the hospital.

Shawn, was captain of the Vikings varsity football team and he was probably one of the biggest, muscle wise. Besides Franklin. But still, Shawn didn't get his title of 'MVP' for dancing around in a helmet and shoulder pads. The guy was ruthless, on and off the field. It just made Hiccup angry as fuck, the way he stared at other girls while he was dating Astrid. Even the way he _touched_ her disrespectfully made Hiccup grit his teeth with anger.

_They probably fuck all the time because that douche bag doesn't know jack-shit about respect._

The thought made him sick.

He slammed his locker shut a little louder than necessary. Shawn glanced over and stopped kissing Astrid. He chuckled loudly and called out, "Sorry Hiccup! I know how you _hate_ seeing guy-on-girl action, but us _real_ _men_ need this kind of attention!" Everyone laughed at Shawn's gay insult to Hiccup.

Hiccup scoffed and turned away from the scene, too pissed at Shawn to even look at him. Shawn called after him, but Hiccup proceeded into the AP Chemistry room. When he walked into the room a familiar sight met him, making him forget all about Astrid and Shawn.

He smiled at his old Chemistry teacher Dr. Gromber, or 'Gobber' as Hiccup called him. Dr. Gromber was a hearty man, with blonde hair and a mustache to match. He was also missing his hand and his leg, which happened after he risked his life in the war by throwing himself on a grenade to save his comrades. But he did have prosthetics and the squeaking wasn't all that noticeable unless you listened for it. Hiccup was the only one used to the man and his missing limbs. With the missing limbs and his fake gold tooth he had earned through the war, many found Gobber creepy; but to Hiccup, he was a good friend.

They met on the second day of freshman year. Once Hiccup walked through the doors of the school, he saw Astrid waiting for him and the bullies who had been tormenting him before. Hiccup ran for his life and evaded them by running into one of the science rooms, which happened to be Dr. Gromber's room. The first time Hiccup had seen the half-bionic man, he fainted. Afterwards, when Hiccup came too, Dr. Gromber consoled Hiccup with fascinating experiments and extraordinary tales to the point that Hiccup actually found the man, though creepy, very friendly. Hiccup spilled his guts about everything that had ever happened to him, including his mom and the problems with his father, and ever since the two had come to grow attached to each other.

"Well hello, Hiccup! I'm glad to see a face that I know only holds excellence!" He said and shook Hiccup's outstretched hand with his real hand. Hiccup grinned at the man.

"It's good to see you too, Gobber." They unclasped hands and Gobber put the meaty glove of a hand on Hiccup's shoulder.

"Well, my boy! How has life been? Anything new with your father?" Gobber was the only person Hiccup had spilt his entire life-story to, and thankfully, Gobber never told a soul. Hiccup just sighed heavily and shook his head. "He's still eager about getting me into Harvard. I'm might just have to go to get him to shut up!" They both chuckled.

"Oh, yeah. But what about _that girl_?" Hiccup laughed when he saw his friend wiggle his eyebrows emphatically. He truly saw this teacher as his one good friend. Gobber knew about his crush on Astrid and he always asked Hiccup if he had made any progress in actually _talking _to her.

"I'm afraid… uh- I'm afraid no," he answered thinly, frowning and gritting his teeth as he remembered the scene in the hallway. He glanced away, looking at the door into the hallway, listening to the laughter outside.

Gobber looked at him with a raised eyebrow, silently questioning what was eating at Hiccup. Hiccup shook his head and Gobber let it go. They knew each other well enough that all they had to do was read each other's faces and that was it. On days were Hiccup had been at his lowest point, Gobber had always been there to ease some of that tension, weather it be some ridiculous story or some kind of life-lesson, it always made Hiccup feel a little less worse. "Pity. My boy, you are going to end up like me if you don't do something about that girl. All alone, you know that son?"

Hiccup smiled at the man. Gobber didn't have a wife, or any kids for the matter, and he often referred to Hiccup as 'my boy', or 'son', but Hiccup didn't mind. He actually saw Gobber as a better father figure than his own father. With his father it was a struggle to even talk to one another, but with Gobber it was just natural. Like an actual father-to-son relationship.

The first warning bell rang and Hiccup walked to a table and set his stuff down. More kids started walking in and a few waved to him. He waved back politely. These nerds were his 'friends'. Sort of… he just talked to them about nerdy stuff like mechanics and mathematics, but it counted. Kids took their seats as he busied himself with pulling out his new binder and pen, checking to make sure he had everything he would need. The final bell rang and he looked up ready to start the class.

"Welcome to AP Chemistry!" cried Gobber, smiling as his fake gold tooth glinted. He turned quickly and started rummaging through his desk for something, finally withdrawing a piece of paper before saying, "Alright everyone. I've decided on something different this year."

Everyone in the classroom started whispering to one another. Hiccup frowned to himself, knowing his friend never did anything different. Gobber continued, "I've assigned all of you to a _permanent_ seat for the year." Cries and whines of outrage and shock over-took the room. Even Hiccup looked surprised. Gobber always let people sit where-ever they wanted, but now he was assigning them? What the hell!

Gobber walked up to the first table and ushered for the two girls sitting there to stand up and move aside. "Adams. Allen." he called the last names of a girl and a boy who sat down and took the girl's seats. It then dawned on Hiccup. _He's assigning us by last names._ "Blanchard. Cavanaugh." Two more took their seats. The students finally got the idea and everyone was soon all pushed to the side of the room while Gobber assigned seats.

"Davis. Dowel." Two more. "Estelle. George." Boy and girl. "Goodenough. Gordon." Next was Hiccup. He glanced around the room, wondering who he would sit next to. His eyes found Franklin and he smiled to himself. Well at least he would be able to sit next to one of his best-nerd-friends. _Haddock and Ingerman…_

"Haddock. Hofferson."

Hiccup's breath caught in his throat. _No. No. Impossible! She's not even in the class…_ He was proven wrong though, when her frowned features sat at the assigned table. She was obviously trying to think of who had the last name Haddock. Hiccup took a gulp of air and made his way over to the table, shaking. As he passed a smirking Gobber, it finally hit him; why the man was doing this. _Gobber! You little match-making prick! _Hiccup tried to glare at the large man, but Gobber was already assigning another seat.

Once he set his things down on the table, Astrid looked up. Her eyes met his.

At first her face remained unchanged. Hiccup saw the look of confusion in her eyes, but that was immediately replaced by recognition and her features turned into a glare. _Gulp._

She looked away and groaned. "You've got to be fucking kidding me," she hissed to herself, but loud enough so he could hear it. He groaned as well and frowned slightly. _Yeah. Fucking ha-ha. Jokes on you. _He bit back his snide comment and just plopped into the chair next to hers. She visibly scooted hers away. This was going to be an awful year.

Gobber was done assigning seats and now stood at the front of the room. He glanced at Hiccup who returned the gaze with his own glare. Gobber only brushed it off. "These are your permanent seats for the rest of the year people. But, raise your hand if you don't like who your with." Everyone, including Hiccup which earned an intimidating glare from Astrid, raised their hands. Gobber surveyed the room. "WELL TOUGH LUCK SOLDIERS!" he screamed in his army-lieutenant voice and everyone jumped a mile high. Gobber regained his composure and said in a slightly less terrifying voice, "So accept it and no complaining or I'll fail you!" Everyone lowered their hands and shut up.

Gobber smiled and pulled up everyone's grades on his computer and put them on the projector so everyone could see. Hiccup frowned. He knew that smile. It meant he had one last card up his sleeve. It meant that there was a twist to the seemingly straight plan. _Uh-oh._

"One more thing. The person at your table is also your lab partner… year round." An explosion erupted from everyone, one of uproar and complaint, until Gobber started putting zero's in everyone's grades. The room couldn't have been anymore quiet. The large man smiled in triumph. "All right. Let's get started."

* * *

Astrid couldn't believe her luck. Not only did she have to sit with 'The Hiccup' in her Chemistry class, but she had him in three other classes! She used to be excited for her AP English class, but now that the dweep was in that class she hated it. At least her best-friend, Roni, was in it.

Roni Thorston had been her best friend since they were little children. Both Tom-Boys, the girls bonded easily and found a natural comparison between each other. Roni was also a gymnast and a sports player like Astrid. They were co-captains on the Girls Varsity Soccer team and both girls were the star players: Astrid played forward and was the leading scorer, while Roni played as the goal keeper. And what a keeper she was. She wasn't afraid to dive around in the mud and cleats in order to keep that ball out of the net. Her nickname was 'Ruffnut' because of all the dirt she ate, and the injuries she sustained. But besides being incredible athletes, Roni was something of a smarty-pants, like Astrid.

She had a twin brother, Tony Thorston. Personality wise, they were polar opposites, but physique wise, they shared a lot of similarities. Same long blonde hair, same noses, and same steel blue eyes. Tony was an athlete, but he chose soccer over football, Hooligan High's greatest achievement. Tony's nick-name was 'Tuffnut', for he was as tough as nails when it came to soccer. That, plus an incident freshman year, involving Tony getting nailed in the middle of a game by a ball to the groin and him playing through the pain to score the winning goal. He was smart on and off the field, though he wasn't as smart as his sister.

Currently, everyone was sitting at the lunch table and enjoying the cafeteria food. For a school, it had pretty good food, often times picked fresh or made fresh. Today was pizza day, and Astrid sat with her friends, picking at her veggie pizza. Tony and Roni were arguing over which team was better, the girls Olympic Soccer Team or the guys. Shawn was probably off eating with his fellow football jocks except for the defensive line-man Franklin, who was sitting quietly on the other side of Astrid.

Franklin Ingerman was a big boy. Big as in muscled and very tall. He was a tank on the field and he often got the most tackles. He was also a genius when it came to school, even though he was supposed to be a football player, which was probably why he chose to hang-out with them instead of the other football junkies. He was near the top of the class like Tony and Roni. Astrid was second in class ranking, and a certain freak was positioned in the number one slot. 'The Hiccup'.

"Astrid!" Her head snapped up from her pizza and she looked at her friend, who was looking slightly annoyed. Astrid shook her head.

"What?" she asked. Roni scoffed and hit her brother in the head while he tried to steal a piece of pepperoni off her pizza.

"I asked you a question. You've been staring at that pizza for ten minutes now."

Astrid snorted. "That didn't sound like a question."

Tony jumped in. "Here's one. You gonna eat that?" Astrid grabbed her pizza and bit into it maliciously. Tony shrugged and turned back to his depleting meal. She put down her pizza and turned back to Roni.

Her friend gave her a look of concern. "What's eatin' you?" Astrid opened her mouth to tell them about her troubles in AP Chemistry and 'The Hiccup', but a commotion across the room caught all their attention.

He was standing in a crowd of football players who were shouting and snorting with laughter. His hair, his shirt, his pants, all covered with pizza sauce and cheese. A stray carton of milk was dumped over his head and he flinched as it covered his body from head to toe and the laughter grew louder.

"Poor Hiccup," Franklin said and the table turned to look at him. They all knew that Franklin was kind of a 'friend' towards Hiccup, but it wasn't often that Franklin spoke on the subject. Another reason he probably hated being around the football guys was because of that. Franklin shrugged at them. He looked down at his meal and started eating. "I'm just saying," he started after a finishing his meat-lovers pizza. "Even now, the kid can't get a break." They all nodded awkwardly except for Astrid.

She stared at the harassed boy now soaked and covered with cheese in disgust, and not because of the food. She had been in a similar situation freshman year, and it was because of him. That's why she hated him. She probably would never forgive him for it either.

The group of jocks started shoving Hiccup back and forth as he struggled to stay on his feet. Astrid winced when he took a punch to the gut by a random hand. She flinched as Hiccup took another hit, and something told her to look away. Astrid stared at her pizza, suddenly not feeling so hungry anymore. She didn't have to feel bad for him specifically, in fact she told herself to not to, but still…

That Haddock boy was probably the un-luckiest kid in high school.

* * *

Try as he might, Hiccup just couldn't get a break. Not only did he have a lunch period with Astrid, but he also had it with Shawn. Currently, the situation was Shawn and his teammates had Hiccup in a tight corner, surrounding him on all sides so he couldn't get away. Shawn stepped forward before his friends and grinned at Hiccup.

"You're like a work of art… except no one likes gay art." His friends cackled grotesquely at their captain's lame joke. Hiccup rolled his eyes, but missed Shawn lunge for him and push him down on the ground. He struggled to get up, but a big foot planted itself on his chest. Hiccup tensed in awful anticipation, but before Shawn could deliver the blow, the bell rang.

He glanced up at a scowling Shawn, but his scowl turned into a Cheshire Cat grin. "See you in P.E. Hiccup!" He let Hiccup's name pop in his mouth before he removed his foot off of Hiccup and walked away with his friends in tow.

Hiccup picked himself up and watched with sullen eyes as his number one enemy strutted over to Astrid and put his arm around her. His heart sank when they both headed off in the direction of the gym. Great. Not only did he have to deal with the schools worst bully in his gym class, but also that blonde haired vixen who hated him just as dearly…

He just couldn't. Not today.

Hiccup quickly rushed through the emptying hallways still covered in pizza and milk, until he reached his locker. He threw his books into his back-pack and closed the it; turning around and heading into Dr. Gromber's room. Gobber turned around upon hearing his door being opened and when his eyes met Hiccup, he sighed.

"Boy, you must let me help you. You can't possibly survive high school like this." Hiccup ignored his friend. "I'm not feeling well. Can you write me a pass?" Hiccup lied, but not like he really had to. He was feeling sick to his stomach already.

"Will you let me help you?" asked Gobber, not buying Hiccup's bull-shit for a second. Hiccup shook his head. Gobber sighed again but hobbled over to his desk anyways, his prosthetic foot clicking on the tiled floor. He knew better than to pester Hiccup. He just wanted to make things easier for the lad was all. He opened the top drawer, wrote Hiccup's pass, and handed it to the pizza caked boy.

Hiccup thanked him just as the bell sounded. He turned, leaving the disappointed teacher behind him, and headed for the nurse's offices. He passed by the nurse and dropped his pass in the bin. "I'm not feeling well," he explained to her, not meeting her eyes. The nurse, Gothi Elder, hardly said a word to Hiccup as she shuffled out from behind her desk and ushered him out the front doors. She was often accepting of him leaving, and he partly wondered if Gobber had told her about his predicament with Shawn. He thanked her, sprinted through the student parking lot, and quickly got into his car, speeding away from the awful hell-hole… trying to convince himself that tomorrow would be better.

* * *

The final bell rang and Astrid stepped out of the girls locker room into the crowded hallway. Being the first day, today had been a free day in the gym, so her and Roni chose to relax and watch some of the boys throw a basketball at the hoops. They had practice after school, but Shawn wanted to meet up in the parking lot.

Astrid rolled her eyes to herself, knowing Shawn's intentions of wanting to meet up in a nearly deserted parking lot. But she wasn't that kind of girl. No matter how much Shawn begged and pleaded, Astrid continued to say no to him. Yup, that's right. Astrid Hofferson, the most popular and hottest chick in the school, (according to all the jocks brave enough to whistle her way) was a _virgin._

She reached her locker and spun in the dial. She didn't really know why she constantly said no to him. Shawn was hot, and one of the most wanted guys in the school, (according to the girls bathroom stall doors) but to Astrid something just didn't seem right. She just didn't want to submit to someone just yet. She was still her stubborn and protected self, just with a boyfriend.

She closed her locker and followed the rest of the fleeing teenagers outside into the student parking lot. She saw Shawn leaning on his car looking around with his sunglasses on. Astrid had to admit that did Shawn look pretty damn hot in his Aviators. He spotted her walking toward him and he smirked. "Hey babe," he called to her as she neared. She smiled to him as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

They both got into his car and he turned on the radio. He glanced her way as he tuned the channels. "What time does practice start?" he asked her plainly, picking a station with a rap song playing. Astrid hated rap, and she cringed at the song.

"Three, but I have to get there early to help set up." Shawn looked over and scoffed.

"Doesn't give us much time," he said but he smirked and leaned in closer, "but it can be quick." He kissed her hard and his hand pulled at her shoulder. His tongue slipped inside her mouth and she felt his other hand grope her bare thigh. It slowly traveled upwards to the hemline of her skirt, but she pulled back and put a hand on his chest.

"Shawn…"

He grunted and pushed back into his seat. "Come _on_, Astrid!" He complained.

"I've got practice. You know that," she explained, brushing her bangs aside.

He looked at her and smirked. "You can be late…"

"I really can't," she said harshly. Shawn grunted and slammed a meaty hand on his steering wheel.

"FUCK! Astrid. Why the hell do you always do this?"

"Why do _you_ always do this?" she spat back, frowning. Shawn looked at her with narrowed eyes but a thin smile played on his lips.

"Because I want to do this and show you just how much I care about you." He leaned over and kissed her neck. "I just… want to know…" he said in between kisses, "if you… care about… me too." He returned to her lips as his hand slipped back to her thigh and traveled beneath her skirt. His hand played with the fabric of her panties, while he slowly sucked on her bottom lip. As his fingers started to pull at her panties she pulled away, frowning.

"I have practice," she said, pushing him back and stepping out of his car.

Shawn stayed in the car, not bothering to even look at her much less say anything to her. As she closed the door and started walking away, his car roared to life. He pulled out quickly and sped down the street, obviously pissed. Astrid shouldered her bag and headed back toward the school through the deserted lot. She shuddered inwardly and hugged her elbows close. For some reason she always felt dirty when she was with him, especially after their encounters like that.

He'd been pressing her on the subject of sex for the past month now, even though they'd only been together since the end of junior year. She knew plenty of girls who said three months of dating was plenty long enough, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. To do the deed. To do the _nasty_. She shuddered at the various words that just bugged her out. She didn't know what was wrong with her. It was like something was telling her to wait. Sure she cared about Shawn and sure, sometimes, it was nice to mess around with her hot boyfriend… but it felt like Shawn only dated her for her body. Which was fine… just not all the time.

* * *

Hiccup got home shortly before school ended. He intended on using the back door so his father wouldn't see him, but he pulled in his driveway and found it empty. Odd. His father usually was home around this time of day to grab a late lunch. He walked inside and found his answer. A note was left on the kitchen counter, scrawled out on a napkin.

"Hansel, gone on a business trip. Be back in a few weeks. Stay out of trouble. Stan." Hiccup read the note out loud and rolled his eyes. If he had a dollar for every time his father told him that, he'd be loaded… well he _was _loaded but that was different.

Hiccup walked upstairs to his room and threw his bag on his king-sized bed. He walked into his bathroom and started the hot water in the shower, peeling the sauce stained shirt from his body. He looked at the green long-sleeve and sighed. It was his favorite shirt, too bad he would have to toss it now. Then again, it was a little small and he could always get another. Good thing he wasn't wearing his beanie at the time they were 'painting' him. He stripped from the rest of his clothes and hopped into the boiling water.

* * *

Astrid stepped out of her chrome shower feeling refreshed and cleansed. Practice had been grueling and the rain from yesterday seemed to give the fields an extra slip today. Roni looked worse, all grass stained and covered with mud. Good old 'Ruffnut'.

Astrid toweled off and braided her hair into her usual pony-tail braid. Walking into her walk-in-closet, she picked out a comfortable light blue chemise with matching boy shorts and walked back into her grand bedroom. She pulled out her Mac and brought up Twitter. She brought up her music and clicked on her favorite song, _**'All 'Cause of You' **_by _**The 88**_. She checked her Twitter feed and began to sing along.

"**I'VE BEEN SINKING THROUGH THE DRAIN OF LOVE. **

**LIFT MY EYES TO SKIES OF UP ABOVE.**

**LISTEN TO ME THIS IS HOW I FEEL.**

**SINCE I KNEW YOU ALL MY THOUGHTS ARE REAL.**

**YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE I WANNA DO…**

**EVERYTHINGS NEW…**

**AND IT'S ALL 'CAUSE OF YOU."**

Well, another thing about Astrid was that her family was rich. Her mother, Alice Hofferson, was Lead Surgeon at Berk Hospital, and the hospital paid her greatly. They lived in the wealthier side of Berk, along with a few other kids from her school, but she didn't really know any of them. Roni, Tony, Franklin, and Shawn lived in the further away in middle of The Suburbs with the rest of the school and everybody else who wasn't rich like her.

She glanced out to her small deck attached to her room, and caught a glimpse of the Cobblefield Mansion. The Cobblefield Mansion was the biggest and nicest house in all of Berk; with the multitude of stories and immense amount of land, you had to be pretty dang wealthy to live there. Astrid would often end her workout runs by sprinting up to the gates and looking as far in as she could. No one knew exactly who lived there, except a few who said that some hot-shot lawyer lives there, but Astrid never saw anyone when she peered in.

Astrid closed her laptop and was about to reach for her iPhone, when a hand reached out from under her bed and grabbed her ankle. She screamed and the rest of the body came with the hand as laughter echoed through her room. She rolled her eyes when she recognized the small figure with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was cackling and squealing with laughter in his little-devil-boy laugh. She groaned and shouted, "Theodore! Stop _doing_ that!"

Her little brother, Theodore Hofferson, was the spitting image of her father. Light blonde hair with dazzling blue eyes. And he was just as rambunctious as her father. Always up, shouting, running, moving, scaring the shit out of people… you'd never guess, save for his size, that he had Brittle Bones Disease. It wasn't as bad as some cases, but because the insufficient amounts of calcium his body absorbed, he was smaller than most kids his age, and his bones weren't as strong. But his condition never slowed him down, much to his sister's worry.

"Ha! Ha! I scared you! Astrid's such a wimp! Astrid's such a wimp!" he sang, hopping from foot to foot. She smiled lightly at her small-sized brother, but he stopped and looked at her with a frown. "And its _THOR_, by the way. T.H.O-umf!" Astrid threw her pillow at her brother and smirked at his iconic nick-name for himself. He glared at her for a second before smiling wickedly. _Uh-oh…_

"WAR!" he screamed and ducked under her bed, picking up his Nerf gun and shooting Astrid. She yelled at him to stop, lunging for him, but he ran around the room, jumping on her furniture and toppling things over. She flinched with each stunt he preformed, in fear he would fall and hurt himself. There was a sudden crash and they both froze.

Thor had knocked over her desk chair and it hit the wall with a _bang. _A family picture that had been hanging on the wall suddenly fell to the ground and shattered. "Oops…" came the small voice of her brother.

The two looked at each other for a second, before Astrid's face turned scarlet red. "THEODORE!" she screamed.

"I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!" he shouted, racing from her room. Astrid flung the blankets from her body and chased her brother through the halls of their mansion.

"You're going to clean this up, you little brat!" she screamed. They ran downstairs and Thor ran straight for the family room, where he knew their mother would be. "Get back here, you little twerp!"

He flung the doors open and raced to his surprised mother. "MOMMY! Astrid's trying to _KILL _me!"

"That little dweeb broke something and he needs to clean it up!" she shouted back and lunged for her brother. He backed behind their mother and she pushed Astrid away.

"Astrid… please. Let it go, just this once." Her mother said softly.

"I _always _let it go!" she shouted back, then glanced up at her mother. Her mother's eyes were blood-shot and puffy, her make-up smudging around the edges. Instantly, Astrid felt guilty. She had completely forgotten what day it was.

She lowered her head and sighed. "I'm sorry, mom… it-its fine. He didn't do anything bad." Thor looked out from behind their mother and Astrid rolled her eyes at him. "Just… stay out of my room, please?" He nodded.

Astrid turned around and quickly shuffled back to her room, while Thor stayed to talk to their weeping mother. She cursed herself when she felt that familiar lump form in her throat as her vision became blurry. Astrid hated sadness. Absolutely hated it. She would rather push it aside and never have to deal with it… but of course, in some cases like this one, sadness just couldn't be covered up.

Walking back into her room, she stepped on something sharp and hissed. A piece of glass that had splintered off was now stuck in her left heel. She cursed again and hobbled to her bathroom, glancing at the photo covered in glass on the floor.

It was a picture of her entire family at their second home in Iceland, the home of her father. The picture was taken a little over five years ago, but it seemed so much longer than that. In the picture, she was on the right side of her mother with her mother's arm draped over her shoulder, holding onto her daughter's small hands. Thor was on her father's shoulders, yanking on her father's blonde hair and laughing like the younger child he was. Her mother was leaning into her father, he had his arm wrapped around her, and they were kissing each other lightly.

Astrid walked out of her bathroom and started picking up the shattered glass. She dumped it all in her trash before picking up the wooden frame and the picture. She stared at the picture, hoping to relive the day… but all she found were tears rolling down her face.

Five years ago to the day, Astrid's father died in combat. He was a Staff Sergeant in the American Army and he had earned a Purple Heart for his sacrifice. His death had hit their home hard, especially for Astrid. Her mother nearly shut down and closed them off when she found out her husband had died. Astrid was left to fend for her brother and herself. She was only twelve at the time and Thor was six.

Eventually, her mother snapped out of it, but the damage was already done. How sad is it that you can't even rely on your own mother to protect you? That's why Astrid built walls… to protect her and her brother. Though Thor may be a real pain in her ass, she would do anything to protect him. Especially from her. Protect him from ever losing two parents again. She would be strong if only for him.

Her door quietly opened and Astrid glanced up from the photo to see her brother standing in her doorway. "Are you still mad at me?" he asked softly, tears threatening to fall down his face. She set the picture down and smiled at him softly, holding out her arms in which he hurried into. He buried his head in her neck and she picked him up and cradled him in her arms.

"Of course not. I could never be mad at you." She held on to him tightly and slowly rocked back and forth on her feet.

"I miss him," her brother sobbed into her neck. She brushed his head lightly with her hand, trying to soothe him.

"Me too."

She brought him over to her bed and sat down. He wriggled out of her grasp and quickly crawled under her covers. She sighed lightly and crawled in with him. He snuggled into her body and she brushed her hand through his light blonde hair until the soft rhythm of his breathing told her that he was asleep. She glanced down at the small boy lying in her arms and she smiled to herself. The way he was sleeping reminded her of an angel, or maybe a small child, and she couldn't help but squeeze him just a little tighter. Minutes later she followed his suit and let the darkness of sleep consume her.

* * *

Hiccup tossed constantly to and fro in his bed, with little success in comfort. Maybe it was the anxiety of tomorrow and facing Shawn. Or Astrid. Or maybe it was that his birthday was less than four days away and the day just so happened to be the anniversary of his mother's death. Probably the latter because he always felt uncomfortable around his mother's death… like it had this big foreboding feeling to it. With every year the dreadful day passed, it seemed like it hit him a little harder as he cried a little louder and hurt a little deeper.

He finally fell into an uneasy sleep, thinking that this year was going to be exceptionally different from all the rest…

Little did he know just how_ different_ things would become.

* * *

**So, what'd ya think? I hope you liked it. And Thor is going to be a much bigger character later on in the story, especially for Astrid's character development. The next chapter we may just meet Toothless and Hiccup probably won't learn he's a Were-Dragon until the third chapter, but it'll be good! Thanks! Review!**


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